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I suspect Turki thinks Uysk will retire beating DDD and becoming undisputed again... nowhere else to go after that - belts will get split up
JP elevated to WBO champ
Kabayel gets WBC
Then they will fight to unify and not before ... why would they... both deserve title shot and fighting each other means one misses out.
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Usyk said he had two more fights. Maybe he's counting on losing to DDD and having a trilogy. I think Usyk's legacy will be slightly tarnished if JP is lying in wait and Usyk leaves him at the door step. And Usyk at 38 years old? Usyk is all wrong style-wise for DDD so it should be a good one.
It's not like JP to wait it out and fight "easy" opposition to get a belt, but it's the smart move. Whyte is a perfect opponent for him.
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It would be great if Parker & Kabayel fought to establish the next contender. With talk of a potential Fury vs Joshua fight, Usyk has been linked to a possible trilogy fight against the winner. I agree with Bart that the smart move is for Parker & Kabayel to keep active & see where things fall.
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No need for JP to be on the SA undercard. Fight Huni as the WBO #1 contender in OZ, make some good money, fairly easy opponent, and clean out some of the guys in the WBO who are underneath him, like Huni.
If JP fought and beat Kabayel, he'd be beating down the door to fight the DDD/Usyk winner. How could SA resist? Big risk, big reward. More interesting as a fan than seeing what develops. Could go into next year, and he's gotta fight somebody this year. Mr Higgins says it'll be around July.
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You would like to believe that Fury and AJ can't just step into a title fight with Usyk with their current losing records... that the governing bodies cannot sanction those fights due to their rankings and mandatories etc... BUT $$$ talks and all AJ needs to do is beat a MMA fighter or a semi retired former contender and hello he steps into NO1 contender .
I don't mind if Usyk fights those as long as its a non-title bout... still be lucrative
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(05-02-2025, 01:54 PM)diehard Wrote: Fight Huni, fairly easy opponent
I don't see Huni as a fairly easy fight for Parker.
I think The Usyk/ Dubois winner needs to face Parker next or be stripped. We've seen Usyk give up the IBF previously, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could vacate the WBO title for a more lucrative bout. That's why I think it would be a good idea for Parker & Kabayel to fight to establish a clear #1 contender, as Usyk has never shied away from a challenge.
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Do you mean that Usyk (not Parker?) has never shied away from a challenge? I do agree, if DDD wins, and there's a trilogy, that's another year gone while boxing fans and alphabets wait. If there is a trilogy, and JP beats Kabayel, he may end up earning two belts before the trilogy.
Seemed like it would have been a lot simplier if DDD had fought JP next, with the winner going for all the belts against Usyk. Then again, that's what Usyk/DDD are doing in July. Too many what if's...
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My issue with this while agreeing I am concerned with JP fighting Kabayel before having a belt is that he could well lose to AK and then have to get a couple of wins to get back and that equals time ... like 18mths
Only fight AK when both guys have a belt whether won in the ring or by the holder stripped to maximise both their earnings and JP has the 2 time WBO to his name.
Huni I'm with Jamieson in that he may not be that easy fight... imagine JP losing to an Ozzie!!
Whyte would be my preference - a name still but is pretty much custard
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(05-02-2025, 07:15 PM)diehard Wrote: Do you mean that Usyk (not Parker?) has never shied away from a challenge?
Yes I mean Usyk has never shied away from a challenge. Parker hasn't either but my point is Usyk has always looked to move towards the biggest challenges. Although I agree with Bart that the smart move is to wait & fight in the future in a potential unification, by fighting now the winner becomes the clear #1 contender imo & potentially a challenge (in Usyk's eyes) that he'd prefer to take over the Fury/ Joshua winner. The problem for both Parker & Kabayel is Usyk's age & timeline. If he only fights once more after the Dubois rematch, the higher profile fight will be a trilogy with the Fury/ Joshua winner. If Parker & Kabayel are really interested in fighting the man, then they need to try to create a demand for Usyk to fight them or they may have to wait for the titles to splinter & pick them up that way.
